Customer service and technical support are both complex and ongoing activities. Before signing a contract, John Harney suggests that customers should review the aspects of both with the ASP, and periodically revisit how well the ASP has addressed them.

From the author of

From the author of

When most people think of the ASP business model, they envision virtual
hands-off technology run from a distant data center with little or no human
involvement. While virtuality is a great benefit of ASPs, a hosted solution that
does not take into consideration basic human customer needs will probably end up
alienating the users. All other things being equal, then, ASPs will tend to
differentiate themselves on the "soft" disciplines involved in hosting
applications: customer service and technical support. The ASP business model and
technology infrastructure are quite complex, and making the solution work
smoothly requires a lot of behind-the-scenes support from ASP staff. That said,
though, the complexities of supporting an ASP solution should never seem
complex to the customer.

Here are some basic elements of customer service and technical support that
you should be aware of. Observing how well an ASP addresses them should help you
get the best service from your provider. But bear in mind that customer service
and technical support are an ongoing process, not a one-time event. If you
monitor these elements early in your tenure with an ASP and then fail to check
up on them periodically, you may find service deteriorating and not know
why.

Up-front Customer Service

1. ASP customer service starts as soon as you log onto the ASP's
Web page or call its Sales department to inquire about leasing an application.
If you are inquiring about pricing and deployment time, and it's not
clearly conveyed by the Web site or the sales rep, then that shortcoming may be
indicative of the service your hosted application will receive later.